Arm blocker

ABSTRACT

An illustrated view of an exemplary arm blocker for protecting a person that has entered into a self-harming event is presented. The arm blocker is useful for preventing injury to the person during a self-harming event and to diffuse or allow the event to conclude without harm to the person. Furthermore, the arm blocker to be light weight, soft, reusable and easy to use. The arm blocker provides a calming effect and distracts the afflicted person from inflicting harm upon themselves. The arm blocker further provides data for tracking impact events as well as reduces fatigue on any staff that is trying to hold or prevent the self-harming event. The arm blocker may further be used for cooking, classrooms, gardening, animal training, etc.

PRIORITY

This utility application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/243,210, filed on Sep. 13, 2021, the entirety is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a person harming themselves. More particularly, it relates arm blocker for protective the person from harming themself.

BACKGROUND

Self-harm or self-injury is intentional direct injury of one's own skin tissues usually without a suicidal intention. Other terms such as cutting and self-mutilation have been used for any self-harming behavior regardless of suicidal intent. The most common form of self-harm is using a sharp object to cut the skin. Other forms include scratching, hitting, or burning sleeve parts. While earlier usage included interfering with wound healing, excessive skin-picking, hair-pulling, and the ingestion of toxins, current usage distinguishes these behaviors from self-harm. Likewise, tissue damage from drug abuse or eating disorders is not considered self-harm because it is ordinarily an unintended side-effect.

Although self-harm is by definition non-suicidal, it may still be life-threatening, People who do self-harm are more likely to commit suicide, and self-harm is found in 40-60% of suicides, Still, only a minority of self-harmers are suicidal.

The desire to self-harm is a common symptom of some personality disorders. People with other mental disorders may also self-harm, including those with depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, and dissociative disorders. Studies also provide strong support for a self-punishment function, and modest evidence for anti-dissociation, interpersonal-influence, anti-suicide, sensation-seeking, and interpersonal boundaries functions, Self-harm can also occur in high-functioning individuals who have no underlying mental health diagnosis. The motivations for self-harm vary. Some use it as a coping mechanism to provide temporary relief of intense feelings such as anxiety, depression, stress, emotional numbness, or a sense of failure. Self-harm is often associated with a history of trauma, including emotional and sexual abuse. There are a number of different methods that can be used to treat self-harm and which concentrate on either treating the underlying causes or on treating the behavior itself. Other approaches involve avoidance techniques, which focus on keeping the individual occupied with other activities, or replacing the act of self-harm with safer methods that do not lead to permanent damage.

A shield is a piece of personal armor held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of active blocks, as well as to provide passive protection by closing one or more lines of engagement during combat.

When a person is being physically harmful to themselves by hitting their own head, pulling out their hair, scratching their face or any other self-directed harm, staff has few if any techniques that can help prevent the self-harm. This can allow the person to inflict harm upon themselves. This can cause serious injuries, both physical and mental, as well as harm to others. Often times when the person is striking or attacking their own head, the trauma that can be caused has long term affects.

No devices are currently available that can help when a person becomes harmful to themselves other than placing the person in a strait jacket which is not optimal.

Accordingly, and in light of the foregoing, it would be desirable to devise device that can be worn on the arms that can be used during a self-harming event to diffuse or allow the event to conclude without harm to the person. It would also be advantageous for the device to be light weight, soft, reusable and easy to use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustrated view of an exemplary arm blocker.

FIG. 2 is an illustrated view of an underside of the exemplary arm blocker shown in FIG. 1 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The phrases “in one embodiment,” “in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” and the like are used repeatedly. Such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. The terms “comprising,” “having,” and “including” are synonymous, unless the context dictates otherwise. Such terms do not generally signify a closed list.

“Above,” “adhesive,” “affixing,” “any,” “around,” “both,” “bottom,” “by,” “comprising,” “consistent,” “customized,” “enclosing,” “friction,” “in,” “labeled,” “lower,” “magnetic,” “marked,” “new,” “nominal,” “not,” “of,” “other,” “outside,” “outwardly,” “particular,” “permanently,” “preventing,” “raised,” “respectively,” “reversibly,” “round,” “square,” “substantial,” “supporting,” “surrounded,” “surrounding,” “threaded,” “to,” “top,” “using,” “wherein,” “with,” or other such descriptors herein are used in their normal yes-or-no sense, not as terms of degree, unless context dictates otherwise.

Reference is now made in detail to the description of the embodiments as illustrated in the drawings. While embodiments are described in connection with the drawings and related descriptions, there is no intent to limit the scope to the embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents. In alternate embodiments, additional devices, or combinations of illustrated devices, may be added to, or combined, without limiting the scope to the embodiments disclosed herein.

Referring to FIG. 1 , an illustrated view of an exemplary arm blocker 10 for protecting a person that has entered into a self-harming event is presented. The arm blocker 10 is useful for preventing injury to the person during a self-harming event and to diffuse or allow the event to conclude without harm to the person. Furthermore, the arm blocker 10 to be light weight, soft, reusable and easy to use. The arm blocker 10 provides a calming effect and distracts the afflicted person from inflicting harm upon themselves. The arm blocker 10 further provides data for tracking impact events as well as reduces fatigue on any staff that is trying to hold or prevent the self-harming event. The arm blocker 10 may further be used for cooking, classrooms, gardening, animal training, etc.

The arm blocker 10 has a sleeve 40 and a hand glove 80. The sleeve 40 has an outside 41, an inside 42, a top 43 and a bottom 44. The sleeve 40 is preferably a cylindrical shape, however other shapes are hereby contemplated, including, but not limited to, rectangular, oblong, etc. The sleeve is preferably three (3) feet in length, however other lengths are hereby contemplated, including, but not limited to, two and one-half (2.5) feet, four (4) feet, etc. The sleeve 40 is preferably one (1) foot in width, however other widths are hereby contemplated, including, but not limited to, one-half (1.5) foot, two and one-half (2.5) feet, etc. The sleeve 40 is preferably one (1) foot in diameter, however other depths are hereby contemplated, including, but not limited to, one-half (0.5) foot, two and one-half (2.5) feet, etc. The sleeve 40 is preferably made of a Kevlar material, however other materials are hereby contemplated, including, but not limited to, cotton, denim, etc.

The top 43 of the sleeve 40 is open, allowing access to the inside 42 of the sleeve 40. The bottom 44 of the sleeve 40 is open and allows for access to the inside 42 of the sleeve 40. The inside 42 of the sleeve 40 is hollow, thus allowing an arm of the person (not shown) to be inserted through the sleeve 40. The bottom 44 of the sleeve 40 is open, thus allowing the arm of the person to extend through the inside 42 of the sleeve 40.

The hand glove 80 has an inside 81, a thumb opening 82 and a top 83. The top 83 of the hand glove 80 is securely coupled to the bottom 44 of the sleeve 40. The inside 81 of the hand glove 80 is open and when coupled to the sleeve 40, an arm of a person can extend through the inside 42 of the sleeve 40 and a finger opening 84 of the hand glove 80 and a thumb opening 82 of the hand glove extend past the hand glove.

In FIG. 2 , an underside of the arm blocker 10 is presented. A center portion 45 of an outside 41 of the sleeve 40 of the arm blocker 10 has a coupling device 46. The coupling device 46 is preferably a hook and loop faster, such as a Velcro®-like fastener, however other types of coupling devices are hereby contemplated. The coupling device 46 is configured to be coupled to outside 41 of the sleeve 40 of the arm blocker 10 such that the coupling device 46 is on an inside of an arm (not shown).

In the numbered clauses below, specific combinations of aspects and embodiments are articulated in a shorthand form such that (1) according to respective embodiments, for each instance in which a “component” or other such identifiers appear to be introduced (with “a” or “an,” e.g.) more than once in a given chain of clauses, such designations may either identify the same entity or distinct entities; and (2) what might be called “dependent” clauses below may or may not incorporate, in respective embodiments, the features of “independent” clauses to which they refer or other features described above.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing specific exemplary processes and/or devices and/or technologies are representative of more general processes and/or devices and/or technologies taught elsewhere herein, such as in the claims filed herewith and/or elsewhere in the present application.

The features described with respect to one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments or combined with or interchanged with the features of other embodiments, as appropriate, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An arm blocker for protecting a person that has entered into a self-harming event, the arm blocker comprising: a sleeve, the sleeve comprising: a top; an inside; a bottom; and a hand glove, the hand glove comprising: a top, the top is securely coupled to the bottom of the sleeve; an inside; a thumb opening, the thumb opening being for allowing a thumb to extend past the hand glove; a top edge; a finger opening; and a bottom, the bottom being open.
 2. The arm blocker of claim 1, the sleeve being made of a foam material.
 3. The arm blocker of claim 1, wherein the sleeve has a cylindrical shape.
 4. The arm blocker of claim 1, wherein the arm blocker is made of a Kevlar material.
 5. The arm blocker of claim 1, wherein the sleeve has a length of three (3) feet.
 6. The arm blocker of claim 1, wherein the sleeve has a width of one (1) foot.
 7. The arm blocker of claim 1, wherein the sleeve has a diameter of one (1) foot.
 8. The arm blocker of claim 1, wherein the sleeve further comprising: a coupling area, the coupling area being configured to be on a center portion of sleeve.
 9. The arm blocker of claim 1, wherein the coupling area is a hook and loop material.
 10. The arm blocker of claim 1, wherein the top is open, wherein the top being for allowing access to an inside of the sleeve.
 11. The arm blocker of claim 1, wherein the inside of the sleeve is hollow;
 12. The arm blocker of claim 1, wherein the inside of the hand glove is hollow.
 13. The arm blocker of claim 1, wherein the top of the hand glove is open, wherein the open top is for access to the inside of the hand glove.
 14. The arm blocker of claim 1, wherein the finger opening is extended past the hand glove.
 15. The arm blocker of claim 1, wherein the thumb opening is extended past the hand glove.
 16. The arm blocker of claim 1, wherein the sleeve further having an under forearm.
 17. The arm blocker of claim 16, wherein the under forearm and the top of the forearm are coupled by a coupling device.
 18. The arm blocker of claim 17, wherein the coupling device is a hook and loop fastener.
 19. The arm blocker of claim 17, wherein the coupling device is configured to be coupled to an outside of the sleeve of the arm blocker such that the coupling device is on an inside of an arm.
 20. The arm blocker of claim 1, wherein the top edge of the hand glove is securely coupled to the bottom of the sleeve. 